Aesthetic Buccal Flap (ABF)

An aesthetic buccal flap or ABF is a buccal flap that has been designed to improve the preservation of soft tissue architecture while simultaneously gaining access to the facial cortical plate. Aesthetic buccal flaps are most often used in the dental implant industry to correct buccal fenestration defects and the procedure is often called a “flapless procedure”. This technique helps to reduce trauma to the soft tissue during surgery, which may impact aesthetics, and to help maintain natural gingival anatomy. Since fenestration defects in the buccal cortical plate can negatively the overall aesthetic outcome, the ABF or aesthetic buccal flap procedure can help improve the appearance of the completed procedure. When implants are placed in the front of the mouth, either on the upper or lower jaw, the aesthetic buccal flap procedure should be strongly considered to reduce the chances of damage to the soft tissue that can be easily seen when a patient smiles or speaks.